The Global Vitiligo Board of Directors met the weekend of December 6-8, 2019 in Detroit, Michigan for a strategic planning weekend.
Friday, December 6, 2019
The board members flew into Detroit and gathered for dinner before kicking off the strategic planning session on Saturday. After catching up with their colleagues about families, practices or research, the talk quickly changed to discussions on how best to serve patients and individuals with vitiligo. The dinner wrapped up with everyone excited to see how the next two days would frame the future for GVF.
Saturday, December 7, 2019
Saturday was a packed day of learning, thinking and discussion.
The learning kicked off first thing in the morning with a brief lecture on nonprofits and foundations, the life cycles of foundations and associations, and board of director legal and fiduciary responsibilities. Board members then heard about the history of GVF and its development from the Vitiligo Working Group. Next information was shared on the past and current finances of GVF, important programs of the GVF and other foundations and associations that address vitiligo. The learning portion of the meeting wrapped up with a summary of the interviews individually conducted with board members, prior to the meeting.
After lunch, the board participated in a SWOT Analysis and, after much discussion and many edits, drafted the new mission and vision statement below.
Our Mission
To improve the quality of life for individuals with vitiligo through education, research, clinical care, and community support.
Our Vision
A world where the burden of vitiligo is eliminated through compassion, care, and cure.
The board concluded the day around dinner time with a brainstorming exercise that involved taking the ideas presented by the group and funneling it down to a handful of ideas and tentative goals. The board worked hard to come to a consensus on 5 key areas and goals. In no particular order, they are:
- Governance & Operations: GVF will follow best practices in governance and operations.
- Support: GVF will increase support for and awareness of vitiligo.
- Individuals with Vitiligo: GVF will provide guidance, support and resources for individuals with vitiligo.
- Knowledge: GVF will develop and disseminate knowledge through research, mentorship and educational activities.
- Brand: Establish and strengthen the GVF brand with respect to all things related to vitiligo.
The board still has a lot of work ahead to adopt the drafted key areas and goals above and to further develop these ideas into strategies and action items.
Sunday, December 8, 2019
The board started the day early with a quick breakfast and coffee before breaking into small groups to further discuss the goals and underlying objectives. The board finished the day with a discussion on next steps and how to best move forward. The group broke around lunch, said their goodbyes, and flew back home to their work and families.
This is an exciting time in GVF’s history. The board will continue to develop and revisit this plan over the coming months and years.
